Alissa Edwards (12) sank the game-winner against Cal on Saturday.
Senior Alissa Edwards has done everything but shoot a game-winning jumper this season for the Oregon women’s basketball team.
That is, until the Ducks visited California on Saturday.
Behind Edwards’ jumper with 2.4 seconds left, Oregon squeaked by the Golden Bears, 54-52, at Haas Pavilion
in Berkeley.
Edwards, who began with the ball off an Oregon inbounds pass, drove to the left side of the court. California center Olga Volkova stepped out in an attempt to defend Edwards, only to have the Oregon guard step back and sink a 15-foot jumper.
“There were a lot of opportunities we could have gone to,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith told KSCR-AM. “We felt confident in Alissa Edwards.
“She did a smart thing, and pulled out and hit a jumper.”
After repeated timeouts by both teams, California (8-13 overall, 4-7 Pacific-10 Conference) inbounded the ball at halfcourt with 2.1 seconds left. A last-second 3-pointer by Kristin Iwanaga hit the backboard but not the rim.
The win was Oregon’s fourth straight over California and 19th in its last 20 contests against the Bears.
“I’m very pleased with the toughness the team played with, especially after the Stanford game,” Smith said, referring to the Ducks’ 85-54 loss Thursday.
Neither team was particularly impressive on the offensive side of the ball, with the Ducks (9-12, 5-8) shooting just 36 percent from the field compared to California at 35 percent.
The same can be said for the 3-point contest, with the Golden Bears connecting on just 2-of-8 treys and Oregon shooting one better.
But both teams did take care of the ball, with the Ducks committing 11 turnovers while the Golden Bears had 13.
As expected, the game came down to the team that was strongest defensively.
“It’s just something that has to come from within the heart,” Smith said.
The battle of the boards settled in Oregon’s favor, 37-34.
Sophomore Andrea Bills and freshmen Carolyn Ganes and Yadili Okwumabua combined for 27 points and 22 rebounds. Ganes, especially, has come a long way since the start of the season.
She led the team with 17 points and tied for the lead in rebounds at eight.
“I think (the post players) did a very good job on (Timea) Ivanyi,” Smith said in reference to California’s center. “We did a much better job on the inside game. The inside game was very important.”
Oregon, battling for most of the season with a nine-player active roster, almost saw that figure dwindle even further.
Sophomore Kedzie Gunderson, who broke her nose Dec. 19 against Montana, fell to the floor in pain early in the first half when she was inadvertently hit in the face by Volkova.
The six-foot forward came out of the game and it was deemed that she re-broke her nose. However, she didn’t sit out long, coming onto the floor to start the second half.
“I thought we had probably lost her,” Smith said. “She gave us that collective glue to allow us to hang together.”
Gunderson failed to score a point, but that didn’t keep her from sprawling on the floor for loose balls and driving through the lane in search of a shot.
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